


Survivors Guilt

by Ember_Darla, marvel_cinematic_universe_fan



Series: Survivors Guilt(y As Charged) [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Canon Divergence - Avengers: Endgame (Movie), F/M, Gen, Harley Keener is a Good Bro, Hurt Peter Parker, Identity Reveal, May Parker (Spider-Man) Dies, Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Not Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Compliant, Peter Parker Has a Crush, Peter Parker Has a Family, Peter Parker Joins the Avengers, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker is Trying His Best, Peter Parker is a Mess, Precious Peter Parker, Protective Peter Parker, Tony Stark Acting as Harley Keener's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Lives
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-23
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:33:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23797735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ember_Darla/pseuds/Ember_Darla, https://archiveofourown.org/users/marvel_cinematic_universe_fan/pseuds/marvel_cinematic_universe_fan
Summary: Peter Parker didn't turn to dust on Titan.Lila Barton watched as her family turned to dust in the wind.Harley Keener was eating dinner with mom and sister when they turned to ash in their chairs.Together they learn to survive a new world.*currently going through major edit, please re-read for differences****This is the partner story to 'Guilty as Charged'. I hope you enjoy it. It's a Post-Infinity War/Endgame collection of one-shots surrounding Peter, Lila, and Harley. I hope you like it!
Relationships: Clint Barton & Cooper Barton & Laura Barton & Lila Barton & Nathaniel Pietro Barton, Clint Barton & Lila Barton, Harley Keener & Peter Parker, Harley Keener & Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Lila Barton & Natasha Romanov, Lila Barton & Peter Parker, Lila Barton/Peter Parker, Peter Parker & Avengers Team, Peter Parker & Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Peter Parker & Pepper Potts & Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe) & Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Pepper Potts & Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: Survivors Guilt(y As Charged) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1704997
Comments: 53
Kudos: 292
Collections: Peter Parker's Tales





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> This is the partner story to Guilty as Charged. I hope you enjoy it. This is the first of many one-shot stories surrounding Peter, Lila and Harley. I hope you like it!
> 
> *currently going through major edit, please re-read for differences*

The bow was heavy in her hand, and the string stung against her skin.

“Okay, hold on, don’t shoot,” she heard her dad say as he stood next to her. “You see where you’re going?”

“Mm-hmm,” she murmured as she pulled the string tighter, her palm almost on her cheek.

“Okay,” he said, moving behind her. “Now, let’s worry about how you get there.”

She felt him tap her elbow, telling her to lower her bow. His right foot tapped the inside of hers, “Gotta move your foot here, point your toe this way. Your hips here. Okay?”

She nodded. She was the daughter of Hawkeye. She could do this. 

“Can you see?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah.”

“How about now?” he asked, moving her hair so it covered her left eye. “Can you see now?”

“No,” she chuckled.

“How about now?” He covered her eyes.

She laughed, “No.”

“Alright,” he said, stepping away. “Ready? Three Fingers.”

She could hear Cooper and Nate playing catch and her mom laughing. “Do you guys want mayo or mustard on your hotdog?”

She lowered the bow, “who puts mayo on a hotdog?”

“Probably Cooper,” he laughed. “Uh, two mustards, please! Thanks, Mama!”

“Got it!”

Her dad took another step, and she raised the bow. “Mind your elbow.”

She took a breath and released it. Bullseye.

“Good job, Hawkeye! Go get your arrow.”

“Hey, guys! Enough practice! Soups on!” Her mom called.

“Coming, mama!” she yelled, pulling the arrow from the target. “Ready, Dad?” she turned around, but he wasn’t there “Dad? Mama where’s dad?” she looked over to the table. “Mama?” she called. “Cooper? Nate?” She yelled, running over. “Mama! Dad! Where are you?”

They were all gone.

* * *

After frantically looking around for her family, Lila went back inside the farmhouse. A single thought was repeating, ‘What on earth is going on?’ She couldn’t fathom how her parents, Cooper, and even little Nate, could just disappear into thin air. ‘This has to be some kind of joke, right?’ Lila thought to herself as she dialed Aunt Nat’s number.

Aunt Nat would know what was going on. All the possibilities began running through her mind at rapid speed. Maybe this was some sort of surprise after all her birthday was in three weeks. It was incredibly implausible, and in the back of her mind, Lila knew it, but still, she clung to that ridiculous idea, that was until Aunt Nat's phone stopped ringing.

Dread took ahold of Lila with a firm grasp. Aunt Nat almost always answered the phone, especially when she wasn’t destroying an alien army or taking down an entire Nazi cult. From her phone call with Aunt Nat two days ago, Lila knew that she wasn’t involved in any serious mission as of late.

‘A lot can change in two days,’ Lila reasoned to herself, in hopes of slowing down her rapidly increasing heart rate, ‘Maybe an Avenger’s level threat popped up in the last few days?’

Another thought sent Lila’s anxiety through the roof, ‘What if my family's disappearance has something to do with the reason Aunt Nat isn’t answering her phone?’

A series of images went through Lila’s mind, each striking more terror in her than the last. Death threats people had tweeted, directed at the Avengers. People on Reddit, theorizing if any of the Avengers had any children. Much to her dad’s concern, many had come to the right conclusion that he had a secret family.

Lila remembered a late-night conversation between her Dad and Mom, one that she wasn’t supposed to listen in on. They talked about moving from the farm because some supervillain the Avengers were fighting in Des Moines was a little too close to her Dad’s liking.

She remembered her Dad saying, “If we stay complacent, it’s only a matter of time before our family’s identity is known to the world, then it’s over. Nothing will ever be the same again.”

More words were spoken during that conversation turned argument, as her mom didn’t want to leave the farm since they had been there nearly 15 years. The phrase, _it’s only a matter of time before our family’s identity is known to the world,_ stuck with Lila. It was only a matter of time before her whole life came crashing down.

The reasonable, non-angsty side of Lila told her that she was being ridiculous. If somehow, a supervillain really did know that Hawkeye had a family and knew where his family resided, why would they kidnap her entire family and not her?

On a further note, it seemed implausible that her Dad would go down without a fight. Even with his ankle monitor on, her Dad was still a force to be reckoned with. How could her entire family be kidnapped in one millisecond, with no sound made, and with no trace from the kidnappers?

Crazier stuff had happened to her Dad and Aunt Nat. Lila had been enthusiastically listening to their stories of spies and missions ever since she was born. She replayed all the stories of her Dad’s teammates seemingly disappearing into thin air as she walked out of her family’s kitchen, closing the screen door quickly not to let any bugs in.

Standing on the porch, shading a hand over her eyes, Lila surveyed the scene of her family’s disappearance once more. Like before, her arrow was discarded on the earth next to the target. 

On the picnic table next to the barbecue, which had been turned off before the strange disappearance, lay hotdogs and hotdog buns yet to be eaten. Relish and Mayo filled the table. The mustard bottle was on the ground as if her mom had suddenly dropped it.

As a flurry of wind came through the farm, Lila finally noticed something different in the otherwise windless day. A dust-like substance circled in the air, then came back to the ground when the wind receded. Usually, Lila would think nothing of it, dust was part of life when living on a farm, but something about this dust made her pause.

Maybe it was the fact that it was somehow thicker than regular dirt that made Lila come down from the porch to investigate further. Or the fact that, as she studied the strange-looking dirt, she found that it was scattered in four distinct piles, right where Lila had last seen her family.

When she picked up the dust, held it in her hand, Lila felt a strange shiver crawl up her spine. A feeling of dread washed over her. It was as if her subconscious already knew what had happened, but the thought was too horrible that she didn’t want to accept it.

Lila slowly backed away from the scene until the back of her foot touched the porch steps. She ran up the porch steps, into the house, up the kitchen staircase, and into her bedroom, as if she was suddenly 7 years old again and was afraid that the kitchen demon was going to pull her down the stairs as she ran up them.

Breathing heavily, back against the wall, Lila grabbed her phone, charging next to her bed. She opened up her Instagram feed to get to the bottom of this and forget about the dust which had seriously creeped her out.

If this whole disappearance were avenger’s related, Lila had no doubt it would be all over Snapchat. Especially with the accords and half of the Avengers going rogue. Lila had wasted way too much time looking through multiple people’s theories about why the Avengers broke up and where they were.

The images and videos that popped up on Lila’s feed were unimaginably worse than she expected. Post after post showed videos of people disintegrating into…. Dust. Lila suddenly felt sick to her stomach. She watched as a girl she knew from school, Tammy, filmed what Lila assumed was her cousin disintegrating before her eyes. Tammy’s scream would forever haunt her memory.

She scrolled videos of buses crashing into buildings Lila had just seen the other day in Des Moines. There was a picture of some guy next to a plane that had crashed in his neighborhood. Most of the videos showed people from all walks of life disintegrating into the same dust-like substance Lila had found in her backyard.

She scrolled in horror until she looked down at her hand. There was some residue of dust caked onto her fingers. The thought of what that dust really was, led Lila to run straight to the bathroom, scrubbing her hands until they were raw and pink. As she processed what had happened in just a few minutes, Lila sat on the bathroom floor, shaking.

As she had done when she was a scared little girl so many years ago, Lila put her knees to her chest. She didn’t have the emotional strength to move as she sat there, contemplating what had transpired in the last hour. 

A million thoughts went through her head, none of them good. Lila still didn’t believe her family had disappeared into piles of dust. The thought was just too ridiculous and out of the ordinary for her to even consider a possibility.

Of course, her life was far from ordinary; her Dad’s job, coupled with the fact that Lila and her siblings had met all of the Avengers at least once, proved that. But would she do now?

She was alone.

* * *

Three days. She was alone in the house for three days before someone called.

“Hello?” she asked. “Bar-Barton Residence.”

“Lila?” She heard on the other end. “Thank god.”

“Aunt Nat?” she gasped. “Hi.”

“Lila, is your dad there?” Natasha asked. “Please tell me your dads there, ”

“No,” she whispered.

“Is anyone there with you?” She asked. Lila could hear fear tremble in her voice.

“No,” she began to cry. “I’m all alone, Aunt Nat. They’re gone.”

“I’m coming to get you, ok? Do not leave the house.”

* * *

It was dark when the plane landed outside.

She ran out the front door and into the field where her family had disappeared.

“Lila!” Natasha called, running towards her and gripping her in a hug.

“Aunt Nat,” she sobbed, hugging her, “they’re all gone.”

“I’m so sorry, little one,” She whispered, “We’ll get them back. Somehow. I promise.”

“You don’t need to do that,” he heard Tony’s voice from across the ship. He still couldn’t believe he was here. 21 days, at least he thought it had been 21; they’d been adrift in space. 

“Hey Aunt May,” he whispered, tapping on the iron man helmet. “Tonys been recording these videos to Miss Potts, and I wanted to record one too. You know, just in case. Um… Space is really big. I mean, of course, it’s big, it’s space. The stars… I wish you could see them. It’s beautiful. Terrifying, but mostly beautiful. After our fight with the big purple grape - that’s what Mr. Stark, I guess he’s Tony now, we have been stuck in a spaceship together for three weeks, so I think it’s ok to call him Tony, right? The big purple grape, that’s what Tony calls Thanos. After the fight and everyone disappeared Tony, Nebula -she is a blue alien cyborg thing, she’s really cool, a little scary at first but she’s really nice- and I was able to repair part of the ship, but after three days we ran out of fuel so now we’re stuck. Tony’s been trying to protect me, giving me some of his food rations, but I did the math, and we’re going to run out of oxygen tomorrow morning. So I just wanted to say I love you, Aunt May. And thank you for being the best Aunt - no Mom, a kid ever could have asked for. And I’ll tell Uncle Ben hi for you. And if you’re gone, then I’ll see you on the other side. I larb you.”

With a sigh, he tapped the helmet, grabbed Tony’s jacket, and went to lay down. Maybe his dreams would be less lonely.

* * *

When Peter Parker woke up, he was in a bed. The room was dark, and all he could hear was the sound of air blowing through the vent and a dripping sound and ... a heartbeat?

“Who’s there?” he whispered. He heard a small gasp and footsteps.

“You’re awake,” a female voice whispered.

“Am I dead?” he asked. 

“No,” she whispered. “You are very much alive.”

“Where am I?”

“The Avengers Compound.”

“I’m on earth?” He whispered. “How?”

“Carol Danvers - she's an avenger, a new one? Old one? I don’t know, but she brought the ship you were stranded on back to earth. Mr. Stark kept screaming for someone to help you. That you wouldn’t wake up, he refused to let anyone help him until you were taken care of.”

“Where is he now?”

“In a meeting, I think? There was some yelling.”

“Why are you whispering?” he asked finally.

“Oh,” she whispered, taking another step toward him. She looked around his age, with brown hair and brown eyes. “Sorry,” she said, her voice coming out a little louder. Her cheeks were red, “Mr. Stark said you had heightened senses and that they may go a little haywire when you wake up. That’s why I was whispering and why it’s so dark. Um,” she took a step back. “Any more questions before I go let them know you’re awake?”

“Who are you?”

“I’m Lila, Lila Barton.”

“Oh, um, well, I’m Peter. Peter B. Parker.”

“What’s the B stand for?” She asked.

“Benjamin,” he answered automatically. “Why are you in my room?”

Her eyes widened, “All the adults are having a meeting, and I was tired of sitting there listening to them argue. You’re the only other person here that’s not an angry adult. And it’s quiet in here. Sorry, I can leave if you want? I just wanted to be alone but not alone-alone. Does that make sense?”

Peter nodded. “You don’t have to tell them I’m awake yet if you want. I think I want to be alone too.”

“Ok,” she nodded, walking towards the door. “I’ll leave then.”

“Um, you can stay, if you want,” he said, “alone but not alone-alone sounds nice.”

* * *

Rhodey came into his room soon after Lila left and told him that Tony had been sedated and the rest of the remaining Avengers were preparing to find Thanos.

“I want to come with you,” he said, moving the blankets.

“Woah, Underoos,” Rhodey said, laying a hand on his shoulder. Peter flinched. That’s what Tony called him. “You aren’t even cleared to get out of bed, let alone blast off into space. And if you’re not here when Tony wakes up, he’s gonna kill me.”

“Can I at least see him?”

“I’ll talk to Bruce, see if I can get you a wheelchair.”

Ten minutes later, he was being wheeled into Tony’s room.

“Hey Peter,” Pepper said, offering him a small smile. “He’s gonna be real mad he missed you waking up.”

Peter shrugged, “Is he going to be alright?”

She nodded, “Yeah, he just needs to sleep, but he won’t do it on his own. Once you both get some food back in your systems and some rest, you’ll both be good as new. ”

Peter nodded and taped the iv that had been inserted in his chest, under his collarbone. “Any idea when I can get this taken out?” The iv was attached to a bag of … he had no idea what it was, to be honest.

“A few days. It’s got, well for lack of a better word, formula it.”

“Formula? Like for a baby?”

“For a spider-baby,” she laughed. “That’s what Tony called you. He knew you would be malnourished with the three weeks in space and knew we needed a quick way to get your caloric intake back up. Something about your super healing not working with it … he said a lot of things, really fast, and I was just so happy you were both alive to care about anything else.”

Peter nodded. “Um, Ms. Potts-”

“Call me Pepper.”

He nodded. “Pepper, I haven’t seen my aunt around. Is she-” he froze, the words getting lost. He couldn’t imagine a world where he got to survive this, but May didn’t. In every scenario he ran in his head, both of them were either alive or both of them dead, not one or the other. Peter glanced up at her. Pepper Potts. The PA turned CEO, who overnight took the world by storm. She was incredible, but at that moment, her hair pulled back in a messy bun, wearing an old sweater, her eyelids swollen like she had just finished crying and her eyes filled with more unshed tears, Peter Parker realized that she was just as, no, more human than them all.

“She’s gone, isn’t she?”

Pepper nodded, the tears now falling, “I’m so sorry, Peter.”

“Was she, um...” his hands were shaking, “was it because of Thanos?”

“Peter,” she said, standing up and kneeling in front of the wheelchair. “Maybe we should wait for Tony to wake up-”

“Ms. Potts, I know that you're Tony’s better half and whatever and not to seem rude, but we’ve only ever talked in passing and that one time at dinner after May found out I was spiderman, so I would like it very much if you just answered my question now,” he said moving his chair back, “please.”

Pepper stood back up, whipping tears from her eyes. “May wasn't dusted, Peter.”

“Then where is she?” he cried. “She should be here. Are you guys keeping her from me?”

“No, sweetie, we’re not,” she kneeled in front of him once again, but this time he didn't move away. “We would never keep her from you.” She took a deep breath and before taking his hands. “May and Happy were in a car accident on the way to the compound.”

“What happened?” His hands were shaking.

“She and Happy were driving up here. Once we realized that Spiderman had been sighted going up into the spaceship but not seen coming down, I told Happy to bring her out here. It’s one of the safest places on the east coast, and Tony would know to bring you here when you got back and...” she stopped and took a deep breath. “A driver on the road vanished, and the car went out of control. It hit Happy and May’s car. Happy’s made it out with a few broken bones, but May...she didn’t make it. I’m so sorry, Peter.”

Blood pounded in his ears. Car accident….May...Gone. The words kept repeating over and over in his head. May...Gone...May...Gone…

Peter glanced at Tony, too still and skinny, and Pepper with tears streaming down her face. “Excuse me,” he murmured, pushing his chair away.

“Peter, stay...” Pepper whispered. “He’d want you here when he wakes up.”

Peter shook his head. Pepper and Tony had survived so much together and still come out alive on the other side. He wasn’t like them. He was just a boy from queens with shit luck who had now lost every family he had ever had. He was alone. “I want to be a-” he shook his head. Alone. He didn’t want to be, but he knew he couldn’t stay there.

* * *

He had only been to the Avengers compound twice. Once for the fake but not fake press conference and for a weekend ‘intern trip’. Before, it had been deserted. It still was with the remaining avengers now off-world, but it still felt...different. Tools and papers were strewn around the conference area, empty glasses and bowls and plates all over the living room and music coming from the kitchen?

It was the girl, Lila.

She was standing at the counter, humming along to whatever song was playing from her headphones. He must have rolled up quietly because when she turned around, she jumped.

“Peter!” she gasped, “You’re up and about.”

“Rhodey got me a wheelchair before they blasted off. They want me to put on some weight before I’m up and walking.”

“Do you want me to make you something?” she asked. “I can’t do much, but I make a mean grilled cheese.”

“You don’t have to,” he shook his head. “I have a stash of canned soup around here.”

Her eyes went wide, “Chicken Soup and Broccoli cheddar?”

“Yeah...”

“I ate them,” she murmured. “Um, give me 5 minutes.”

“Lila, you don’t have to make me food. I can ask-” he paused. He couldn’t ask May, Tony was asleep and he couldn’t look at Ms. Potts without feeling angry and sad so… “I’ll figure something out.”

“Well, you did just get back from another planet and you fought the evil villain and spent three weeks adrift in space,” she said moving through the kitchen pulling and pouring things before popping a mug in a microwave. “While, I’ve been sitting here for 23 days literally doing nothing but reading, watching tv, and trying and unsuccessfully spying on Aunt Nat trying to figure out what going on.” The microwave beeped. “The least I can do is make you some instant soup,” she said, handing him the mug. “It's the only thing my dad can, um, could cook.”

“What’s in it?”

“Just water, some pepper, and a chicken bouillon cube. My dad used to make it for my brothers and me when we were sick. It’s not the best, and it’s got like no caloric intake, but it’s warm, and it tastes like chicken broth.”

He took a sip. “Thanks, maybe if I can keep this down, I’ll take you up on your offer for grilled cheese.”

The pair sat in silence for a moment before Peter spoke again. “You said spying on your Aunt Nat. You don't mean Natasha Romanoff do you?”

“Well, she’s not technically my aunt, but she and my dad are best friends. I’ve known her my whole life.”

“Wait, is your dad hawkeye?”

“Yup.”

“Is he-?” She nodded before he could finish his sentence

“My mom and my two brothers too,” she frowned. “But it’s ok because Aunt Nat and Dr. Banner and the rest of them are going to get the stones and fix this. It’ll be like a really bad vacation. They can’t lose twice, right?”

He nodded. “Yeah...”He wanted to add that this was like the fifth time they lost, but he thought he should keep that bit of information.

“Did you lose anyone?”

“Um...” he froze. He had lost everyone, and unlike her family, they weren’t coming back. “Yeah. My aunt. I don’t know where my phone is, so I’m not sure about anyone else.”

“Do you want to use my phone? Call your friends?”

Did he? All he wanted to do was talk to Ned, but if Ned wasn’t there to pick up… he shook his head. “No, like you said. This will all be over soon.”

* * *

When the Avengers did eventually return to earth, Tony Stark was awake.

“What happens now?” Peter asked.

“I don’t know, kid.”

“Mr. Stark,” Peter started. “Where do I go?”

“What do you mean, Pete?” Tony asked. “And I thought I was Tony now.”

“May’s gone,” Peter began. He could feel the tears rolling down his face, burning his cheeks. “I don’t have anyone else. Where am I going to live?”

“With me.” 

“Mr. Stark- Tony. You don’t have to do that. You’ve taken care of me enough. I can live by myself,”

“Underoos,” Tony said, “Look at me.”

Peter shook his head and wiped his eyes on his sleeve. “Mr. Stark-”

“Peter,” Tony said. place a hand on his shoulder. “Look at me.”

Peter looked at him. This man that he once - still - idolizes. “Tony,” he sobbed. “I don’t want to lose anyone else.”

“You’re not gonna lose me,” Tony said, hugging him. “I promise, kid, I’m going anywhere.”


	2. According to my girl, FRIDAY May 22, 2018-May 25, 2018

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Transcripts from FRIDAY dated May 22, 2018-May 25, 2018

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is part of the re-write. In between every chapter is going to be a transcript from FRIDAY, filled with all the little bonus scenes I want to be in there but feel like they take away from the overall story. I hope you enjoy!

Tuesday, May 22, 2018  
08:19  
Avengers Compound  
Lila Barton’s Room

NR: Lila, are you awake?  
LB: mm-hmm  
NR: Can I come in? I brought breakfast.  
LB: Depends...What’s for breakfast?  
NR: Pancakes with bananas and chocolate chips and extra bacon. And hot cocoa.  
LB: You may enter.  
LB: So what did I do to deserve breakfast in bed?  
NR: Today’s a special day. I wanted to make sure it was as special as can be.  
LB: What’s so special about today? Did you guys find Tony and that Spiderkid? Did you figure out how to bring everyone back?  
NR: Lila, did you really forget what day is today?  
LB: Aunt Nat, what are you talking about?  
NR: Lila, it’s May 22. Today’s your 17th birthday.  
LB: No, it’s not. Today’s the...22nd.  
LB: Aunt Nat, can I be alone?  
NR: Are you sure? I had some things planned if you want. We could watch a movie, make your mama's pot roast, I know if your favorite. I also have some presents for you.  
LB: I’m sure. Maybe later? I think I just want to be alone.

Tuesday, May 23, 2018  
23:26  
Avengers Compound  
Command Center

SR: This is a nightmare.  
NR: I’ve had better nightmares.  
JR: Hey, so that thing just stopped doing whatever the hell it was doing.  
NR: What do we have?  
BB: whatever signal it was sending finally crapped out.  
SR: I thought we bypassed the battery.  
JR: Oh, we did. It’s still plugged in. It just stopped.  
ST: reboot it, send the signal again.  
BB: we don’t even know what this is.  
NR: Fury did. Just do it, please. And tell me the second you get a signal. I want to know who’s on the other end of that thing.  
CD: Where’s Fury?  
SR: Who are you? How did you get here?  
CD: Where is Nick Fury?  
BB: Are you the one this thing has been signaling?  
CD: I won’t ask again. Where is Nick Fury?  
NR: He’s dead. The last thing he did was send some sort of signal from that! Did he send it to you?  
CD: How did he die?  
JR: Whoa, listen, lady, who are you? Why did Fury call you, and where the fuck were you when we were battling for our live three weeks ago?  
CD: I’m Carol Danvers. How did he die?  
BB: He was snapped. Half of everyone was, the other half survived.  
NR: Bruce!  
BB: Half of everyone is gone! Thanos snapped them out of existence. I’m done fighting with each other and everyone else. Just answer her goddamn questions, so maybe she will answer some of ours. Hell, maybe she can even help us find out what happened to Tony and Strange and the Spiderkid.  
CD: Who?  
SR: Some of our team was in space when everyone disappeared. We have no way of contacting them to find out if they even survived.  
CD: I can find them. What was their last location?  
JR: We don't know.  
NR: Our theory is that they may have ended up on or near Titan.  
CD: I’ll find them.

Thursday, May 24, 2018  
02:37  
Avengers Compound

NR: Steve! Bruce! Rhodey! Get outside now!  
PP: Hurry!  
BB: Is it Danvers?  
PP: Does it matter?!  
NR (whispered): Do you think they’re alive? It’s been weeks.  
SR (whispered): They have to be.  
PP: They are. They have to be.  
.  
.  
.  
.  
.  
N: He says he will not come off the ship without Peter.  
PP: Peters alive?  
N: I- I do not know. He has been asleep for a while, and he will not wake up.  
PP: Oh god-  
SR: Who’s Peter?  
NR: The spiderhero, the one from Queens.  
TS: Can someone help me! I can’t carry him!  
PP: Tony!  
TS: Pep, I-I tried to protect him. I tried so hard. Wheres May? She can’t see him like this-  
PP: Tony-  
SR: Let me carry him.  
TS: You have to help the kid. Peter. Bruce, please, you have to save him.  
PP: Tony, lets get you to the med bay.  
TS: No! Peter first. No one touches me until Peter is taken care of. I promised to protect him. I promised May I would protect him.  
PP: You did, Tony. You brought him home.  
TS: I couldn’t stop him. I couldn’t stop Thanos.  
SR: Neither could I.  
TS: I can’t lose the kid. Please.  
ST: Tony, we lost.  
TS: Please just save him.

Friday, May 25, 2018  
10:39  
Avengers Compound  
Command Center

TS: Who’s with Peter?  
NR: Lila is sitting with him. Don’t worry, Tony, he’s not alone.  
TS: Then let’s get this over with.  
JR: It’s been 23 days since Thanos came to earth.  
NR: World governments are in pieces. The parts that are still working are trying to take a census, and it looks like he- It looks like he did exactly what he said he was going to do. Thanos wiped out 50% of all living creatures.  
TS: Where is he now? Where?  
SR: We don't know. He just opened a portal and walked through.  
TS: What’s wrong with Point Break?  
R: Oh, he’s pissed. He thinks he failed. Which, of course, he did, but there's a lot of that going around, ain't there?  
TS: Honestly, until this exact second, I thought you were a Build-A-Bear.  
R: Maybe I am.  
SR: We’ve been hunting Thanos for three weeks now. Deep space scans and satellites and we got nothing. Tony, you fought him-  
TS: Who told you that? I didn’t fight him. No, he wiped my face with a planet while the Bleecker Street magician gave away the stone. That's what happened. There was no fight ‘cause he’s not beatable.  
SR: Did he give you any clues, any coordinates, anything?  
TS: Uh...no.  
TS: You know I saw this coming a few years back. I had a vision. I didn't wanna believe it. Thought I was dreaming.  
SR: Tony, I’m gonna need you to focus.  
TS: And I needed you. As in, past tense. That trumps what you need. It’s too late, buddy. Sorry. You know what I need? I need a shave and a moment alone with my fiance because when my kid wakes up, I somehow half to find a way to tell him that the only family he had left, isn't coming back, even if we somehow discover a way to bring everyone back. And I believe I remember telling all youse-  
JR: Tony-Tony!  
TS:-alive and otherwise that what we needed was a suit of armor around the world. Remember that? Whether it impacted our precious freedoms or not. That’s what we needed.  
SR: Well, that didn’t work out, did it?  
TS: I said we’d lose. You said, “We’ll do that together, too.” And guess what, Cap? We lost. And you weren’t there. But that’s what we do, right? Our best world after the fact? We’re the “Avengers.” We’re the “Avengers,” not the “Pre-vengers.” We’re certainly not earth “defenders.” Right?  
JR: You made your point. Just sit down, okay?  
TS: No, no, here’s my point. You know what? She’s great, by the way.  
JR: Tony, you’re sick. Sit down.  
TS: We need you. You’re new blood. We’re a bunch of tired old mules. I got nothing for you, Cap. I got no coordinates, no clues, no strategies, no options. Zero. Zip. Nada. No trust, liar. Here, take this. You find him, you put that on, and you hide.  
SR: Tony!  
TS: I’m fine. Take me to the kid-

Friday, May 25, 2018  
12:43  
Avengers Compound  
Med Bay

JR: He’s fine. Bruce gave him a sedative. He’s probably gonna be out for the rest of the day.  
CD: You guys take care of him, and I’ll bring him a Xorrian elixir when I come back. I’ll bring an extra one for the kid.  
SR: Where are you going?  
CD: To kill Thanos.  
NR: Hey. You know, we usually work as a team here, and, uh, between you and I, morale’s a little fragile.  
SR: We realize up there is more your territory, but this is our fight, too.  
JR: You even know where he is?  
CD: I know people who might.  
N: Don’t bother. I can tell you where Thanos is.  
SR: Who are you again?  
N: Thanos is my father.  
.  
.  
.  
.  
.  
N: Thanos spent a long time trying to perfect me. And when he worked, he talked about his Great Plan. Even disassembled, I wanted to please him. I’d ask, where would we do once his plan was complete? And his answer was always the same. “To the Garden.”  
JR: That’s cute. Thanos has a retirement plan.  
SR: So, where is he?  
R: When Thanos snapped his fingers, Earth became ground zero for a power surge of ridiculously cosmic proportions. No one’s ever seen anything like it. Until two days ago, on this planet.  
N: Thanos is there.  
NR: He used the stones again.  
BB: Hey, hey, hey. We’d be going in shorthanded, you know?  
JR: Look, he’s still got the stones, so-  
CD: So, lets get ‘em. Use them to bring everyone back.  
BB: Just like that?  
SR: Yeah. Just like that.  
NR: Even if there’s a small chance that we can undo this… I mean, we owe it to everyone who’s not in this room to try.  
BB: If we do this, how do we know it’s gonna end differently than it did before.  
CD: Because before you didn’t have me.  
JR: Hey, new girl? Everybody in this room is about that superhero life. And if you don’t mind my asking, where the hell have you been all this time?  
CD: There are a lot of planets in the universe. And unfortunately, they didn’t have you guys.  
T: I like this one.  
SR: Let’s go get this son of a bitch.


	3. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter and Lila finally meet the infamous Harley Keener.
> 
> *edited version now posted*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This felt very choppy to write and the transitions felt weird. I can see exactly how every scene of this story plays out in my head but writing it feels awkward sometimes. I don't really know how to describe it. If anyone would like to be a co-author let me know. Having someone to bounce ideas off of would be nice! Enjoy!

Harley Keener was eating dinner with mom and sister when they turned to ash in their chairs. 

They were having meatloaf, mash potatoes, and green beans. It had been on special at the diner that his mom worked at, and she had brought some extras home. One moment they were laughing and smiling, and then...they were gone.

He had seen the aliens in New York - again - and he knew the avengers were probably working hard to fix whatever had happened to his family, so he stayed put. He remained in the house and ate peanut butter and jelly and frozen pizza, and when that ran out, he used all the cash he could find to buy more. He jumped the fence to Mr. Johnsons' farm and raided his garden. He could do it. He could survive until the avengers fixed whatever this was.

Then the power shut off.

So he called the only person he knew could survive this. Tony Stark. After all, Mr. Stark had survived being kidnapped and hunted and attacked.

The pair had remained in touch ever since the Potato Gun/Mandarin incident. Tony had even written him a letter of recommendation for college. It was because of him he had full rides to M.I.T., N.Y.U., and CalTech.

The phone rang twice before someone answered.

"Tony?" he whispered. "It's Harley...Keener. I need help."

"Oh, sweetie," a soft voice whispered.

"Ms. Potts?" said Harley. Harley had only spoken to the Mechanics fiancée a handful of times and never for long. "Is Tony there? I need help. My mom and sister… He said if I ever need help, just to call and..."

There was sobbing on the other side of the call.

"Ms. Potts," said Harley, his voice cracking. Tony couldn't be gone. "Please tell me he's okay."

"I'm so sorry, Harley," she cried. "I don't know. We're still searching."

Harley fell to the floor. His mom, his sister, Tony...they were all gone.

"Harley!" his name echoed through the phone as it laid on the floor. "Harley, are you there?"

He ended the call.

He was alone now.

* * *

The first Time Peter Parker met Harley Keener; he hated him. Hated him with every fiber in his being. After all, the asshole was wearing a …. Star Trek shirt.

"I can't believe you're doing this to me, Tony," said Peter. "I get it, he's the O.G. mentee, and you want us to be friends, but come on, you cannot honestly expect me to share a lab with that 'Live Long and Prosper' guy. I can't do it; my inner Star Wars nerd is screaming!"

"Kid! Calm down!" Tony laughed. "Besides, what is wrong with Star Trek? I watched it growing up."

"I'm gonna start calling you Mr. Stark if you keep talking like that," said Peter. "That's traitor talk right there."

"Pete, seriously?"

"Yes!" he said, throwing his hands up. "Star Wars is more than a movie; it’s a way of life," Peter smirked, "Mr. Stark."

"Oh god," Tony said, laying back in his bed. "The horror, kid," he laughed, a grin stretching across his emancipated face. "You wound me."

"Okay then," a voice said from behind them. Harley Keener. Harley Keener and his stupid PeriodicTable of Star Trek shirt and stupid southern twang and _'I'm gonna burn that shirt the first chance I get,'_ Peter thought to himself.

"Okay, then, what?" asked Peter.

"Convince me," said Harley, "Why is Star Wars better than Star Trek? You convince me, and I'll never bring up Star Trek again."

"You two are weird," said Lila. "I've never seen either, and I've gotten by just fine."

"That’s because you’re a Potter nerd. Which is awesome and is a great introduction fandom, but we are definitely watching Star Wars just as soon as I'm done proving my point," said Peter looking at Lila. "Star Wars is ten times better than Star Trek!"

"As I said, convince me," said Harley. "I'm waiting."

"Stars Wars was groundbreaking in terms of special effects and filmmaking. It was literally light years ahead of its time," Peter folded his arms across his chest. _I got this,_ he thought. 

"And Star Trek, which came before Star Wars, was also groundbreaking. Also, have you watched Episodes 1 through 3, the computer graphics are failing, and they look worse than 4 through 6, and they came out twenty years after," said Harley. "You gotta try better than that."

"Oh, come on, even the worst Star Wars movie is better than the worst Star Trek movie."

"And? You really want to compare which series had the worst of the worst?" said Harley. "Tony, where'd you find this kid?"

"Star Wars has better video games, Lego sets, music, aliens, and-" said Peter.

"And fake physics, Star Trek is based on real science," said Harley. "As a scientist, shouldn't you care more about that?"

"We have lightsabers and the Millennium Falcon."

"And?" said Harley, "I thought you were supposed to be convincing me, not boring me."

Peter looked around, Tony and Pepper were sitting on his bed, laughing and Lila seemed to be a second away from leaving the room. "Um," his cheeks turned red, "Star Wars has Leia Organa in a gold bikini."

"I'm gay," Harley laughed. "As much as I love Carrie Fisher, she doesn't do much for me."

"Han Solo?"

"Touche," said Harley. "Tony, did I earn my fifty bucks yet?"

"What?" said Peter.

"Tony said he'd give me fifty bucks to pretend to be a Treky," said Harley.

"Huh?"

"I wanted to see how you would react," said Tony, "and you sure did, Harley."

"You all suck," said Peter. 

"I'm stuck in bed until further notice, and I need to get my entertainment from somewhere."

"Oh, you're so going back to being Mr. Stark," said Peter.

"Alright, children," said Tony. "I guess it’s time for introductions. Harley Keener meet Peter Parker. Peter Parker meet Harley Keener. I'm sure you two will get into enough chaos to give me a heart attack."

"How'd you two meet?" asked Peter.

"Tony broke into my garage, and I shot him with a potato gun. You?"

"Got into a fight with this kid from Brooklyn, and Tony happened to be walking by."

Lila laughed, "That's one way to describe what happened."

"Am I missing something?" said Harley.

"Oh yeah," said Lila, "Why don't we go watch those movies you were fighting over?"

* * *

"So, what's your story?" said Harley. They were halfway through _The Empire Strikes Back_ and their third bowl of popcorn when Harley spoke up.

"What do you mean?"

"Look around," said Harley. He placed the popcorn bowl he was holding on the lounge room table. "We're three kids surrounded by what's left of Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Why us three?"

"Well, my dad's Hawkeye," said Lila. "So I belong here, and Peter's-"

"Tony's intern," said Peter, "and my aunt didn't survive, so I'm here."

"And your Spiderman, so that probably helps," said Harley.

Peter froze, "That's a good one, real funny Keener. Did Tony offer you another fifty bucks to say that?" _There's no way he's figured it out already, and Tony wouldn't tell. Only the avengers who were here when we got back to earth know...and Lila._

"No, but thanks for confirming what I already knew. I know Tonys probably has given you crap about keeping your identity and whatever, but he's not that good at keeping secrets."

"What are you talking about?" said Peter. 

"You know, one week Tonys emailing me about how he's trying to find Spiderman for some super-secret mission, and the next he's got some genius-level intern he can't shut up about. You're seriously lucky Tony has like no friends, or the whole world would know who's under that pretty red mask of yours."

Peter stood up, "Excuse me, but I have to go kill Iron Man now." 

"We'll be your alibi!" Lila yelled to his retreating figure before turning back to the T.V. 

"So what's the deal with you and Peter?" asked Harley, his eyes still on the larger than life T.V.

"What do you mean?" she asked, her eyes still glued to Han and Leia as they fixed the Falcon.

"He keeps looking at you," said Harley, "so are you together?"

"No," she said, "We just met like a month ago, and before that, he was basically in a coma for 24 hours."

"With you tending to his bedside?"

"You could be nicer, you know?" said Lila pointing at the screen.

"Haha," he tossed a piece of popcorn at her and frowned, "What do you mean I could be nicer?"

"Peters had it rough," said Lila. "Just don't expect him to tell you his life story right off the bat. If I hadn't been here when everything happened, he probably wouldn't have told me."

"We've all had it rough," said Harley. "Our families were literally blown away like dust in the wind, and they aren't coming back. At least not for a while."

"Then what's your story?" said Lila. "I lost my mom, my dad, and both my brothers. My Aunt Nat is great, but she's not my mom. You know my story, now spill yours."

"My story doesn't matter," he said. "I'm here now, and this..." he paused and took a deep breath. "This is my family now."

"You don't get it, do you?" she said. Of course, Harley didn't get it. He was a civilian. He was normal. "You just blew his secret identity. Threw his most precious secret out into the world like it was nothing."

"Oh, come on. It's not like I called The Daily Bugle. It was just us."

"It doesn't matter. You need to get this through your thick skull. When you are a part of this life, your identity is all you have. It's your protection. Your lifeline. Your everything, and once it's out there, there is no going back."

"You're Lila Barton, child of _the_ Hawkeye. What protection do you need? You've got the Avengers as your protection. What more do you want?"

"Except I'm not Lila Barton!" she yelled. Her chest heaved with every aching breath she took. "Google Lila Barton; she doesn't exist. There are no records or birth certificates of her or her mom or her brothers. S.H.E.I.L.D. had them all wiped away and replaced with Lila Benson, daughter of Laura Benson, sister to Cooper and Nathaniel. Father: unknown. According to the world, I don't exist because when my dad joined the Avengers, he became a household name, and he needed to protect us from his enemies. My dad couldn't keep his identity a secret, so mine got wiped away." She could feel tears rolling down her cheeks, burning her skin as they fell. "When you're in this life," she muttered. "Your identity is all you have. Learn it or leave all of us the hell alone."

"Wow," a shocked voice rose from the shadows. Tony. He rolled his wheelchair closer to the pair, and the light from the T.V. illuminated his face and reflected off the metal of his chair. "Do I want to know what caused that explosion of teenage angst?"

"You!" she yelled, walking toward him. "You and your ' _I am Iron Man'_ persona. You ruined what it means to have a secret identity! Now you're out telling Peter's to every kid you want to mentor!"

"Hold on a second. I never told anyone-"

"You kinda told me," said Harley, "I mean, you never said Peter Parker is Spiderman, but you made it easy to figure out."

"Then he threw it in Peter's face!" said Lila. "Peter was going to talk to you, didn't he tell you?"

"Peter never said anything to me," said Tony. "I-I haven't seen him since you started your little marathon." Tony rubbed his eyes, "Friday, my love, where's Peter?"

_Peter Parker is currently in your joint lab._

"And what is he doing in there?"

_Peter Parker is currently destroying the Iron Spider Suit. He seems to have made decent progress, sir._

By the time the three of them arrived at Tony’s lab, they found that Peter had made more than decent progress. What remained could only be described as shattered scrap metal. Peter stood over the pile of broken blue and red metal, blood dripping down his forearms.

"Peter?" asked Lila.

"It’s over," he said, looking up at them.

"What's over?" she asked, walking toward him.

"I went to tell Tony about Harley knowing, and I heard-" he hiccuped.

"Peter, you weren't supposed to hear that. I was going to tell you all together."

"What did you hear, Peter?" said Lila, taking his hand; it was cold and clammy and wet with blood and sweat.

"Nat and Rodgers sent a transmission. They'll be home soon. They killed Thanos, but Thanos destroyed the stones. They can't bring everyone back."

"What?" she gasped. She turned to Tony. "You'll find another way, right? You'll find another way to bring them back?"

"Kids-"

"Don't call us kids," said Harley. "We're not your kids; we're not anyone's kids. Not anymore."

"Hey," said Tony. His hand gripped the arms of the wheelchair as he pushed himself up. "All three of you look at me." He took a deep breath before beginning again. "The three of you are not my children. I am in no way your dad, but that does not mean you’re not my kids. Harley and Peter, I would not be alive today if it wasn't for each of you, and I promise you that no matter what happens, I will always have your back. Understood?"

Peter and Harley nodded.

"Lila, can you look at me?" Tony asked. Lila stared at him. It seemed like just yesterday and still a lifetime ago that they stood in their little house surrounded by all the Ultron chaos, and he called her 'tiny agent.' "Lila, I am so sorry that my 'Iron Man Persona' messed everything up. But your dad...he was truly one of the greatest men that I have ever met, even when we were fighting. He loved you and your mom and your brothers so much, and all he ever wanted to do was keep you safe from the superhero life. I know that you're going to be with Nat wherever she goes, but I hope that you'll call me if you need me. I promise to never try to be your dad, but if you'd like, maybe I can be a friend?"

"I'd like that Tony, and-" she looked at Harley and Peter, "can you help me convince Aunt Nat that we should stay in New York? I've got these two new friends, and I don't want to leave them behind."

"You got it, kid."


	4. According to my girl, FRIDAY May 15, 2018-May 26, 2018

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Missing Moments with our beloved Harley Keener!
> 
> *New chapter* thanks for sticking with me through edits :)

Tuesday, May 15, 2018   
12:42  
Avengers Compound  
Tony Stark's Room

FRIDAY: Ms. Potts, would you still like me to forward all of Mr. Stark's incoming calls to your phone?  
PP: Who’s calling, FRIDAY?  
FRIDAY: Incoming call from a Mr. Potato Gun Kid.  
PP: Transfer it FRIDAY.

.

.

.

HK: Tony? It's Harley...Keener. I need help.  
PP: Oh, sweetie.  
HK: Ms. Potts? Is Tony there? I need help. My mom and sister… He said if I ever need help, just to call and...  
HK: Ms. Potts. Please tell me he's okay.  
PP: I'm so sorry, Harley. I don't know. We're still searching.  
PP: Harley! Harley, are you there?

.

.

.

FRIDAY: Ms. Potts the call has been disconnected. Would you like me to return the call?  
PP: Please, FRIDAY.  
FRIDAY: It appears the phone has been turned off.  
PP: FRIDAY, is Happy here?  
FRIDAY: It appears he is in his room. Would you like me to ask him to come to see you?  
PP: No, FRIDAY. I’ll go to him.

Tuesday, May 15, 2018   
12:50  
Avengers Compound  
Guest Room - Happy Hogan

  
PP: Happy, can I come in?  
HH: Any news?  
PP: No, how’s your arm?  
HH: It’s fine. What’s going on, Pepper?  
PP: Do you remember the kid from Tennessee? The one who helped Tony?  
HH: Yeah, why?  
PP: He just tried calling Tony’s cell. I think his family’s gone.  
HH: It’s been two weeks. Jesus, what’s the kid been doing all this time?  
PP: I don't know… I tried to get more out of him, but he hung up on me.   
HH: You want me to go down there, don’t you?  
PP: I know you’re still recovering but I have to stay here in case we hear from Tony and I know you’re still grieving May but-  
HH: But May loved her nerdy, awkward teen, and right now, there's nothing I can do for Peter, but there is something I can do for Harley. I'm pretty sure May would smack me if I didn't go.  
PP: Thank you, Happy.

Friday, May 25, 2018  
14:15  
Avengers Compound  
Med Bay

PP: Friday, call Happy Hogan, please.  
FRIDAY: Right away, Ms. Potts.  
TS: Why is FRIDAY so nice to you? I feel like she always sasses me, and I made her.  
FRIDAY: You programmed me Boss, I can only act the way you made me. Happy Hogan is not connected to your phone Ms. Potts  
HH: Pep, you there?  
PP: Happy, I've got great news!  
HH: They found Tony and the kid?  
TS: You couldn't get rid of me that easy, Hap.  
HH: Tony, I swear to god, no more aliens, no more disappearing.  
TS: Good to know you care so much. Where are you?  
HH: You didn’t tell him?  
PP: Between him and Peter and telling them about May and getting everyone updated, I didn't have the time.  
HH: Tony, I got a good surprise for you then. Kid! Come here! Someones on the phone for you!  
HK: Hey Pepper, how's everything going?  
TS: Kid. Oh, thank god.  
HK: TONY! YOU’RE ALIVE!  
TS: So are you? Happy’s with you?  
HK: Pepper sent him down here to help me pack up my house; I’ve been ordered to the compound. Pepper said I could stay with you guys until you and the other Avengers find a way to bring mom and Abbey back.  
TS: When are you coming up here?  
HK: We were going to head up tomorrow morning. Happy can we leave now? Everythings in storage.  
HH: Sorry, kid, the plane won’t be fueled and ready until tomorrow morning.  
HK: Damn.  
HK: Tony?  
TS: Yeah, kid?  
HK: Did your intern kid make it? The one you’re always talking about it?  
TS: He’s here. I’ll introduce you once you get here. We’ve got another one running around too. Another Avengers kid.  
HK: That’s cool.  
TS: Potato, you still got that Star Trek shirt I gave you, right?  
HK: Somewhere, why?  
TS: Well, Peter is a big Star Wars guy, and I thought it would be funny to play a little prank.  
PP: Really, Tony?  
TS: Hey, I’m going to be stuck in this bed for who knows how long, and I’ve got to get my entertainment somewhere.  
HK: I don’t know Tony, don’t I want this kid to like me?  
TS: You can blame it all on me, and I’ll give you fifty bucks.  
HK: I don’t know…  
TS: Please!  
HK: You promise Peter won’t hate me? Star Wars fans don’t really like Star Trek fans. Remember, I didn’t even speak to you for like a month after you gave me the shirt. I was so annoyed.  
TS: Which is why I gave you the shirt, kid. Don't worry. Everything will be fine.

Saturday, May 26, 2018  
15:45  
Avengers Compound  
Med Bay

PP: What did Rodgers say?  
TS: They found Thanos.  
PP: How?  
TS: He was on some planet just relaxing and basking in his win, I guess.  
PP: So what happened?  
TS: They killed him. Well, Thor did. Tossed his new hammer ax thing at him and took his head clean off.  
PP: That’s good, right? He’s gone?  
TS: Gone and never coming back- Did you hear something?  
PP: I didn’t hear anything. The kids are watching another Star Wars movie.  
TS: Your right...So they found Thanos and killed him but Thanos… he….  
PP: He what?  
TS: He destroyed the stones. He used them to destroy them. Said that after he fixed everything the stones no longer had any use. He didn't want anyone to undo what he did.  
PP: So that’s it?  
TS: I don’t know.  
PP: Isn’t there anything else we can do? They can’t just be gone, Tony.  
TS: I don't know, Pep…Do you hear that?  
PP: It sounds like Lila.  
TS: What’s she yelling about?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some of the missing moments leading right up to when Tony walks out to Lila tearing Harley a new one and then tearing Tony a new one.


	5. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Re-Upload. Were almost caught back up to where we were. I'm hoping to get the next 'According to my girl, FRIDAY' up in the next few days. It's going to have a lot in it to fill in the missing moments from June through Thanksgiving.

The first six months after the blip was the best of times and the worst of times and probably some other Shakespearean quote that Peter couldn’t think of, but English and History were MJ’s subjects. Some days he wanted to spend his days alone in his room at Stark Tower (that Tony had repurchased almost immediately), building one of the many LEGO sets that Tony had bought him. Some days he wanted to spend hours after hours in the lab with Tony, Bruce, and Harley working on suits and prototypes. Sometimes he wanted to hang out with Lila and Harley and watch movies and play board games; other times, he wanted to hang out with Lila, just Lila. That wasn’t weird, right?

A part of him thought it was weird because he was pretty sure he liked MJ six months ago. Really liked MJ. But with Lila, it was easy. His stomach didn’t get all twisted and make him feel sick. When he was with her, he just felt good, like he was warm all over. And she made him laugh, and she was a nerd just like him. Well, not just like him, as she preferred to binge all eight Harry Potter movies or reread the Game of Thrones series while he and Harley worked in the lab. But she understood the nerd life and had even asked if he would build the Harry Potter LEGO castle with him, which had over six thousand pieces.

But the last six months hadn’t been all glitter and gold and fun. He had to bury Aunt May. The funeral had taken place on a Sunday afternoon. It was cloudy and humid, and he wanted to crawl out of the suit that Tony had shoved him into. The plot next to Ben, Mary, and Richard Parker wasn’t supposed to be filled. May was supposed to live forever.

Then he had to go to the memorial for Ned. Then the one for MJ. He even went to the ones for Flash and Mr. Harrington. He went to the memorial for fallen Avengers as Spiderman and _didn’t_ cry in his mask as he watched his heroes’ faces flashed across the screen. He definitely kept his cool as Lila and Cassie Lang spoke about being the children of avengers and hope for the future and how even though it felt like the world had ended, the sun would rise again. He will admit that he let out a not so classy snort when Lila quoted Dumbledore.

Pepper and Tony announced they were having a baby, which Peter already knew. It had freaked him out the first time he heard eight heartbeats in a room where there were seven people.  
He had also graduated highschool. Now he, Lila, and Harley were all #class2018. Harley was only a week away from graduation when the blip had happened, and even though it had taken a few lawyers and a furious Tony and two GED exams later, and three of them were off to college.

Tony had been over the moon when the President of MIT himself called to offer Peter a spot amongst the freshman class and even offered to ensure that Harley and Peter were roommates. When they told him they wanted to go to NYU with Lila, who was determined to get into the accelerated nursing program, the look on his face was priceless. When the two boys told him they also weren’t ready to leave him, Tony’s expression was even better. Peter also didn’t say it out loud, but MIT was his and Neds’ dream. As much as he loved his newfound friendship with Harley, he couldn’t give that up.

So that’s how he ended up where he was right now. In the middle of thanksgiving break, freaking out about his first round of college finals and papers were less than a month away. The only bright side was that he had almost all his classes with Harley, and they were able to have one class with Lila, even if their mandatory college writing class was going to be the death of him.

* * *

“That’s it!” yelled Harley, rolling off Peter’s bed. The three of them had retreated from the living room (where the TV offered way too much temptation to goof off). “I’m done. I can’t do it anymore! I’m done with this shit! No more Calculus and Chemistry for Engineers, no more engineering and design, and definitely no more essays that I have to bullshit my way through.” 

“Well, I’m no chemistry genius, so I need to study for my chem final,” said Lila.

“Thanksgiving is in two days, and we are alone at the Avengers compound with no adult supervision,” said Harley. “Let’s do something!”

“I do need a break,” said Peter, rolling down from the web hammock he had built on the ceiling. “And I’ll help you study for your chem exam tomorrow and Friday if you want.”

“You sure?” she asked, laying the textbook down. Her brown eyes looked tired and bright all at the same time, and the pen that was holding her hair in the bun on the top of her head was on its last leg. “I don’t want to take away from you studying for your exams.”

“Don’t tell Tony, but Bruce and him studying with me has helped so much that as long as I don’t bomb every final, I’m good.”

Lila closed the book and rubbed her eyes, “Ok, Keener, whatcha got in mind? What should we do?”

“No idea,” he said, throwing himself back down on the bed with a thump. “What’s something we normally can’t do?”

“Raid the weapons vault?” said Lila.

“We need Tony, Bruce, Nat, or Rhodey to open the door,” said Peter.

“Raid Tony’s liquor cabinet?” said Harley.

“Do you want to die?” asked Peter. “Because Tony, Pepper, and Nat will kill us. Besides, I don’t even know if I can drink.”

“What do you mean you don’t know if you can drink? You pick up a glass, and you take a sip,” said Harley.

“No,” Peter groaned. “I mean alcohol! It’s like pain meds. I burn through it faster, and it could be the same. I don’t know how it will affect me.”

“Then let’s find out!” said Harley. “Come on; this is just the stupid, reckless teenage experience we’ve been missing out on because we’ve been taking the high road in life.”

“I wouldn’t say we’ve been taking the high road,” said Lila, “Peter did destroy a million dollars worth of technology by destroying his suit beyond repair.”

“Hey!”

“Ok,” said Harley, “decent points aside, think about it. If we were normal college kids living on campus, we would probably be at a party right now, but instead, we are sitting around.”

“We weren’t supposed to be college kids for a whole year, Harley,” said Peter. “Technically, we’re still supposed to be seniors in high school.”

“Lila, what do you think?” asked Harley.

“I-” she started. “I think I’ve been the good kid my entire childhood. I kept my dad’s secrets; I took care of my little brother and big brothers. I always got good grades and kept my head down, and I-”

“You what?” asked Peter.

“I think I want to be young and dumb for once. What do you say, Pete?”

Peter took a deep breath, “I think my parents died when I was a kid, and I never lashed out. Then I got bit by that spider, and before I had time to learn how to use them, my Uncle Ben was shot right in front of me. I always listened and got straight As and never tried to make life hard for anyone around me, even when I needed help. I think that every day for as long as I can remember, I’ve always been taking care of other people and sometimes...sometimes I want someone to take care of me. I think for once I want to be a normal teenager.”

“Then I guess we’re gonna be young and dumb?” asked Harley.

“Just one question,” said Lila.

“What’s that?”

“We can’t raid Tony’s stash, he’ll know, and he’ll kill us. So if we do this, we need to get it from somewhere else.”

“I’ve got that covered,” said Harley. “I’ve got my own stash I brought from my place. It was my mom’s and - I never touched it, but I brought it. When I turned 21, I was going to open this bottle of Cherry Whisky she had and pour one for her and me. I don’t know if she would approve of using it for this, but-”

“She’s not here,” finished Lila and Harley nodded.

“I think you both are forgetting one crucial thing,” said Peter.

“What’s that?” they asked.

“Hey F.R.I.D.A.Y?” called Peter. “Is babysitter protocol active?”

“ _Hello, Peter. Babysitter protocol is still active until Tony, Pepper, Natasha, or another Avenger returns tomorrow,_ ” the Scottish voice echoed through the room.

“Shit,” mumbled Harley brushing his curly blonde hair from his face.

“Hold on,” whispered Lila. “F.R.I.D.A.Y. what does babysitter protocol entail?”

“ _I am to inform Tony, Pepper, and Natasha if you leave the property or if you become injured to the extent that you need emergency medical attention._ ”

“But, you don’t report our every detail?”

“ _Not unless instructed too._ ”

“Ok then,” said Lila, “We just have to make sure that we don’t need emergency medical attention.”

“I think we can handle that,” said Peter. “Young and dumb, not dump and reckless.”

“We got this,” laughed Harley. “Right?”

“Let’s find out,” said Lila.

* * *

As it would turn out, breaking the rules was a lot easier than the three of them realized. In the end, they chose to play some drinking game that Lila had googled called the Ring of Fire. They put a glass with what they assumed was the amount that went into a shot on the floor, surrounded it with cards (the ‘ring of fire’), picked cards one at a time, and tried not to break the circle of cards. Harley poured them each a glass of the cherry whiskey and coke then he drew the first card.

8 - Mate. The person who drew the card picks another player, this player drinks whenever they drink.

“Pete, take a sip.”

Then Peter drew. 6 - Gents, all the guys drink.

Then Lila drew. 8 - Mate, and she picked Harley.

Then Harley drew. 8 - Mate, and he picked Lila.

Then Peter drew. 9 - Rhyme. He made it 11 words in before Harley hesitated on 12 and had to drink.

18 cards and way too many refills (4 for Harley and Peter, 3 for Lila), Harley and Lila, were more than a little tipsy, and Peter, well, he felt nothing.

“Five is ‘never have I ever right’?” asked Lila. “The first person to put five fingers down drinks?”

Harley nodded, his head rocking back and forth. “Hands up, Lila, you start.”

“Never have I ever failed a class,” she said. Of course, she hadn’t, but then again, neither had Harley or him. 

“Never have I ever used a bow and arrow,” said Harley.

“That’s low,” she said, lowering a finger. “Pete, help, please.”

“Never have I ever kissed a guy,” said Peter laughing as Harley lowered a finger. “Get him, Lila.”

“Never have I ever shot Tony Stark with a homemade potato gun,” she laughed.

“Hold up,” said Harley, “You gotta put a finger down.”

“Why?” she giggled, “I have never shot Tony Stark with a homemade potato gun, I shot him with a stun arrow, which was an accident if he asks and has nothing to do with him making a joke about me being Katniss Everdeen. Also, I’ve never been kissed, but moving on!” Her face was red, and Peter couldn’t tell if it was from the alcohol or the confession

“Wait, what?” asked Harley. “Really, never?”

“I haven’t either,” said Peter, “The only girl I ever really liked, dads tried to kill me, and the second one turned to dust so...”

“Wow, well, I hope y’all don’t kill me for this, but never have ever wanted to kiss someone in this room,” said Harley standing up. “I’m gonna go puke my brains out and let you two unpack that.”

The door closed quietly behind the southern boy, and Lila’s eyes were wide as she stared at what was left of her drink. 

“Um,” Peter started. "Do you want me to toss that for you?” he pointed at the half-empty glass.

She nodded, “I don’t think I should have anymore; my head’s a little cloudy. Are you still sober?”

“Yeah, I just really have to pee,” he mumbled, “I’m gonna get you some water.”

She nodded, “Hey Peter,” she stood, and the pencil that had been holding her hair up finally fell, and her brown hair tumbled down her shoulder, “Are there really two people who want to kiss in this room?”

Peter looked at her with wide eyes and ran his hand through his hair, “Why don’t you ask me again when you’re sober.”

“I don’t think I’ll have the courage,” she said, walking towards him. “I’ve never done the whole crush and feelings thing before. Well, not the crush and feelings thing I feel with you. It’s like I feel warm-”

Before he knew what he was doing, he kissed her. It was short and was over before it began, “I promise you tomorrow morning, nice and bright, and early when you are sober, I’ll make you a big stack of chocolate chip pancakes with extra bacon and enough courage for both of us, but right now-”

“Right now what?” she whispered.

“Right now, I’m going to be the good kid my Aunt May raised,” he brushed a piece of hair behind her ear, “I’m going to make you a peanut butter sandwich and get you a glass of water and make sure you get to bed safely. In fact, I’ll probably end up camped out on the floor to make sure you don’t get sick. ”

She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck, and pressed her cheek against his chest. He was sure that his heart was going to burst out at any moment.

“I really like you, Peter,” she whispered.

“I really like you, too.”


End file.
